Comparison

Cipher Chats vs Tangle

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Cipher Chats

This messaging app offers a secure, end-to-end encrypted communication experience. It utilizes a unique password-based system for each chat, ensuring only authorized users with the correct password can access conversations. The interface is designed to be simple and user-friendly, prioritizing data privacy and eliminating backdoors.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Password-protected chats
  • Customizable security per chat
  • Simple, user-friendly interface
  • No data storage on external servers
  • No backdoors or surveillance
Features
Read full description

Cipher Chats offers a secure, end-to-end encrypted messaging experience designed for privacy and security at every level. Whether you're chatting with friends, family, or colleagues, Cipher Chats ensures that only you and your intended recipients have access to your conversations. At the core of Cipher Chats is a unique password-based encryption system. This means that each chat room has its own password, which is used to generate encryption keys each time you open the chat. With this setup, even if someone gains access to your device, they won't be able to read your messages without the correct password. Your messages are transformed into encrypted data that is indecipherable to anyone without the specific key, including Cipher Chats itself. Key Features: End-to-End Encryption Your messages are fully encrypted between sender and recipient, meaning only you and the person you're messaging can read them. Cipher Chats uses advanced encryption standards to secure all communication and protects your messages from external access. Password-Protected Chats Each chat is password-protected, adding an extra layer of security beyond traditional encryption methods. Passwords are used to regenerate unique encryption keys each time you access the chat, enhancing your privacy and control. Customizable Security for Each Chat With individual passwords for each chat, you can adjust the level of security as needed. Whether you need a secure conversation with just one person or with a group, Cipher Chats makes it easy to protect your privacy. Simple, User-Friendly Interface Cipher Chats is designed for simplicity, making secure messaging accessible to everyone. Intuitive navigation and clear design allow users of all backgrounds to feel comfortable with secure communication. Data Privacy With Cipher Chats, your data is yours alone. We do not store your messages on any external server, nor do we collect personal data beyond what is necessary to provide a reliable service. Your communication is safe and private with Cipher Chats. No Backdoors or Surveillance Cipher Chats is built on a commitment to privacy and transparency. There are no backdoors, no surveillance, and no tracking, allowing users to communicate freely and securely without concern for external oversight. Cipher Chats makes it easy to have private, secure conversations without compromising on convenience. Simply set a password for each chat, and Cipher Chats handles the rest, allowing you to focus on your messages, not on security risks. Download Cipher Chats today to experience secure messaging like never before.

About

Tangle

This app offers a real-time, text-based communication experience that mimics the immediacy of a phone call without the need for voice. It provides guaranteed focus, disappearing messages, and an AI assistant for quick answers within conversations.

Highlights
  • Real-time text chat
  • Disappearing messages
  • Guaranteed focus
  • AI assistant for quick answers
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Burner tags for privacy
  • Group chat invites
Features
Read full description

Tired of phone calls? Tangle replaces them by turning texting into a focused, real-time chat that starts and ends just like a call. Send a time-limited invite, chat with guaranteed focus, and hang up to erase the chat for everyone. End-to-end encryption and privacy by design keep conversations private even from us. WHY TANGLE Unlike regular texting that leaves you guessing if someone's there, or calls that demand immediate voice attention, Tangle gives you guaranteed focus without the pressure. You get real presence confirmation and immediate attention like a call, but with text-only communication that is perfect for loud places or when voice isn't ideal. Need a quick answer during a chat? Ask Tangle is your privacy-first AI assistant built right into conversations. Send your question and get instant, intelligent responses with optional live search for real-time information. Your question goes to the AI, but zero chat history or personal data goes with it. Answers arrive encrypted in the chat like every message, and everyone sees the response together. Built for real-life moments: making dinner plans in 2 minutes instead of 20, working alongside someone without constant interruption, having real conversations without wondering if they're multitasking, or checking that your partner got home. Sometimes you just want to connect and know someone is really there. Zero digital clutter. When you hang up, messages vanish everywhere, no endless histories cluttering your phone or living on servers. You control who joins with unanimous consent for changes. Privacy that actually works: burner tags you can change anytime, plus end-to-end encryption where even we can't read your messages. HOW IT WORKS Send a time-limited invite to up to 3 people. They answer to join, and presence indicators show who's actively in the chat as you talk. If everyone is away for over a minute, the chat wraps up naturally. There's also a Focus mode for time-sensitive chats where everyone needs to stay locked in. Need to add someone or take a break? Propose it and everyone votes. Any single "no" cancels the change. Hang up to end the session and messages disappear for everyone. Only a lightweight record remains in your History, where you can long-press any entry to block or report. Manage blocked contacts in Profile, Privacy and Support. Create scheduled chats (one time or recurring) from Action Center, Schedule. Start group conversations from Action Center, Group. Switch to burner mode or update your temporary tag from Action Center, Burner. Everything is designed for quick access when you need it. CONSENT AND SAFETY Nothing changes unless everyone agrees, including adding people or pausing. Any single no stops it. You can block or report by long pressing any conversation in your History page. Blocks apply to the account permanently, so changing their main tag or burner tag will not help someone evade a block. Change or delete your burner tag anytime to instantly cut off contact. Choose who can invite you: Anyone, Contacts Only, or Nobody in your privacy settings. We collect minimal data. Only lightweight chat history records showing who connected and when, never message content. Tangle is privacy first with end to end encryption and zero knowledge of your conversations. NOTES FOR iOS Live Activity invites can appear on the Lock Screen for quick join. To auto-dismiss the Live Activity if you miss it, allow Live Activities on the lock screen. Notifications are required to receive invites on time. Certain technologies and processes used in Tangle are patent pending. Web: https://tangle-app.com/ Contact Support: https://tangle-app.com/support/ Terms of Service: https://tangle-app.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://tangle-app.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Cipher Chats4 screens
Tangle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tangle at Free against Cipher Chats's $0.29. Tangle also leads on ratings volume (19 vs 1). Cipher Chats's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.2). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Tangle is free to download; Cipher Chats costs $0.29 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Cipher Chats against 5.0 for Tangle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tangle has 19 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cipher Chats ships an update every 5 days, Tangle every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Cipher Chats versus Tangle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCipher ChatsTangle
Price$0.29Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings119 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB66 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperCipher Solutions LLCTangle, LLC

Customer experience

Cipher Chats

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tangle

All ratings19 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Cipher Chats

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tangle

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Occasional crashes or freezes

Requested features

2 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved offline functionality

In-app purchases

None

Cipher Chats

No in-app purchases

None

Tangle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cipher Chats free?
Cipher Chats costs $0.29, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tangle free?
Tangle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cipher Chats or Tangle?
Cipher Chats and Tangle are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 19 ratings respectively.
Do Cipher Chats or Tangle have ads?
Neither Cipher Chats nor Tangle shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cipher Chats or Tangle?
Cipher Chats ships an update every 5 days, and Tangle every 4 days. Most recently, Cipher Chats was updated on October 9, 2026 and Tangle on September 24, 2026.

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